Sale of the Century

Updated version of the 1969-1974 NBC game show. Three contestants competed to answer trivia questions, with scoring in dollars. The game was interrupted at certain intervals for Instant Bargains, which allowed the player in the lead to buy a prize at a discounted prize (e.g., a $795 stereo color TV for $6), always at the risk of later losing the game; and a new feature, the "Fame Game," where the host read first-person clues leading to the identity of a person, place, thing, etc., with the winner having a chance to earn cash, a bonus prize or add to his score with the choice of one of nine numbers. The player with the highest score could elect to use his score money to buy specially-discounted luxury items (e.g., a $4,500 diamond-studded Swiss watch for $120), or accumulate his score money by winning future games and having access to either a luxury car, an escalating jackpot which began at $50,000 and increased by $1,000 per show until won, or everything on stage. Later in the show's run, the endgame's format changed, where champions chose prizes via a matching game; and again later by solving phrases within 30 seconds to win a cash bonus.